Dec. 17—Standing at the podium, Jason Eck spoke about his new opportunity as if he was pitching a recruit’s family instead of a room filled with vested supporters.
“I don’t look at an 18-year-old young man graduating from high school as where he is right now — I see where he can be in a few years,” he said during a news conference. “And that’s how I look at this New Mexico football program.”
Eck largely adopted that tone as he was introduced as the University of New Mexico’s new head football coach on Tuesday morning at the Pit, referencing the short- and long-term potential that drew him to Albuquerque and his excitement to help the Lobos reach it.
The 47-year-old replaces Bronco Mendenhall after compiling a 26-13 overall record with three Football Championship Subdivision playoff appearances in as many seasons as the head coach of Idaho. Eck is the third head coach in as many years for UNM, a program that hasn’t had a winning season since 2016.
Per a memorandum of understanding signed on Saturday, Eck’s five-year deal would start at $1.15 million in base compensation — a $775,000 raise from his guaranteed salary at Idaho — with annual $50,000 salary escalations. Barring incentives, he’s set to surpass Bronco Mendenhall ($1.2 million annually) as the highest-paid football coach in school history in the third year of his contract.
Described as a program-builder by UNM Athletic Director Fernando Lovo, Eck earned that moniker by posting three-straight winning seasons at a program that only had two over the last 22 years. The Vandals notably won 10 games for the first time in 36 years this season, a “special” feat Eck compared to what’s possible in his new job.
“With some of the things going on here, the investments they’ve made, the commitment from our administration, I think there’s opportunity here at New Mexico to do something that has not been done in a long time,” he said. “And I think that’s a lot more special than taking over a program where the last eight coaches had winning records, and you’re really just trying not to screw it up.”
In taking over at UNM, Eck made it clear he wants to run a developmental program with an emphasis on high school recruiting. Transfers will be necessary to supplement rosters, he said, but recruiting — and developing — players from the prep ranks was a stated focus throughout his career, and will remain one with a “powerful” recruiting base in the Southwest.
“I believe in high school (age) young men,” he added. “And I want to find young men and I think there’s going to be some rule changes that give you more flexibility with scholarships that I think is gonna give us an opportunity to recruit more New Mexico guys. And maybe they’re not as polished as some guys from the Phoenix metro area or the Dallas metro area.
“But they have a pride and passion for being from New Mexico … They can add to the culture.”
With close to 30 Lobos still in the transfer portal, Eck said he’s been able to meet with five or six of those players so far, in addition to introducing himself to the rest of the team.
“They weren’t sold on their own, for sure — they wanted to find out how things are going, meet with me and hopefully we’ll be able to retain a lot of those guys and keep them on the team for what’s ahead,” he said.
Fitting said players to schemes will also be a focus. A former offensive lineman at Wisconsin, Eck has spent the entirety of his coaching career on the offensive side of the ball, with a three-year stint as South Dakota State’s offensive coordinator.
Eck said he prefers to run a huddle offense, but emphasized his experience making sure schemes matched personnel over the years.
“We’re not just trying to run a million plays and get as many yards as we can, because I don’t think that’s what’s best overall for the team,” he added. “I want to make sure that our offensive schemes, our defensive schemes and our special teams schemes fit together and complement each other to play winning football.”
Eck, however, did not reference UNM as a rebuild. Despite many of the key players on the Lobos’ 5-7 team last season entering the transfer portal — and a handful already committing to different schools — he maintained that roster turnover wouldn’t dampen his goals.
“I knew my first year coming to Idaho, ‘We gotta be better this year,'” he told the Journal after his introduction. “Now, it ended up that we were three games better (and) I don’t know if it always happens that fast …I’ll attack this the same way — we need to get better.
“And you know what? Getting better is going to a bowl game. So, I mean, that’s our goal. All our sights (are on), ‘We need to be in a bowl game next year.'”
